Elastic wheel for vehicles.



RICHARD SOHNICKE, OF CHE-MNITZ, GERMANY.

ELASTIC .WHEEL FOR VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 15, 1907.

Application filed July 20.1906. Serial No. 327,069-

T0 at whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD SoHNioKE, a subject of the German Emperor,residing at Chemnitz, in the Kingdom of Saxony and Empire of Germany,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elastic Wheels forAutomobiles and other Vehicles, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to elastic wheels especially adapted forautomobiles and also for other vehicles.

As is well known, pneumatic tires used on automobile-wheels causeconsiderable trouble and even accidents. When traveling at a .highspeed, for instance, should a pneumatic tire burst or be suddenlydeflated the peri hery of this wheel becomes smaller, so t at thevehicle deviates suddenly from its course and before the driver has hadtime to operate the steering device of the car it describes a sharpcurve, being possibly thrown into a ditch or against an obstacle. It hastherefore been tried to substitute for pneumatic tires solid tires, theelastic support consisting of an arrangement of springs; but suchelastic tires have the disadvantage that the resilience of the springscan only act in tangential and radial directions in the plane of thewheel, such wheels having consequently a hard course.

These disadvantages are obviated in the present invention, the rim ofthe wheel being carried by bolts which are each supported by two spiralspringsarranged facing each other in such a manner that the bolts canhave movement not only in the plane of the wheel, but at any angle tothe same.

A form of construction of the invention is shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view. Fig. 2 is a sectionin a plane vertical to the axis of a detail of the wheel on an enlargedscale. Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the form of the spiral springsbefore they have been placed in position for supporting the bolt. 1

The improved wheel consists of a tire 1,

constructed of iron, steel, wood, or other suitable material, rigidlyconnected to the nave 3 of the wheel by means of spokes 2. Pockets orchambers 4 are attached to the tire 1 by means of flanges 5, by whichthey are fixed to the inner surface of the tire 1 by means of bolts orscrews 6. Inside the pockets 4 are arranged two springs 7 and 8, theformer supported by a flange 9 of the cover 10 of the pocket, andthelatter by the flange 7 I 11 of the pocket 4. The spiral coils of thesprings 7 and 8 do not lie fiat or in one planebefore they are placed inposition for supporting the bolts, but project in helical form, as shownin somewhat an exaggerated manner in Fig. 3. At the inner ends 12 and 13of the springs 7 and 8 the bolts 14, which are attached to the rim 17 ofthe wheel, are so supported that the springs are compressed by a collar15, rigidly connected to the bolt 14, whereby the spirals liepractically in a plane.

The apertures of the pockets 4 opposite to the cover 10 are closed bydisks or plates 16 of rubber or any elastic material, the bolts 14passing through said disks. On account of theelastic and yieldingmaterial of the disks 16 the movement of the bolts 14 at any angle tothe plane of the Wheel is not hindered.

I The outer surface of the rim 17 may be covered with india-rubber forthe sake of appearance, as also to allow of quiet motion of the vehicle.

Having now fully described my invention, I declare that what I claimis 1. In an elastic wheel the combination of a rim, a tire concentricthereto, bolts to which said rim is attached, two spiral springs facingeach other surrounding said bolts adapted to move in a direction in theplane of the wheel and at an angle to the same, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

2. In an elastic wheel the combination of a rim, a tire concentricthereto, bolts to which said rim is fixed and means of enabling saidbolts to move both in a direction in the plane of the wheel and at anangle thereto, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In an elastic wheel the combination of a rim, a tire concentricthereto, bolts to which said rim is fixed, springs supporting said boltsadapted to move both in a direction in the plane of the wheel and at anangle to the same, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In an elastic wheel the combination of a rim, a tire concentricthereto, pockets fixed to said tire, bolts attached to said rimextending into said pockets, a set of two spiral springs surroundingsaid bolts in each of said pockets facing each other.

5. In an elastic wheel the combination of a rim,.a tire concentricthereto, pockets fixed to said tire, bolts attached to said rimrespectively extending into said pockets provided at their upper andlower end with a

